NH-L9i chromax.black

The NH-L9i chromax.black is an all-black version of Noctua’s award-winning NH-L9i low-profile quiet CPU cooler for HTPCs and Small Form Factor (SFF) builds. Thanks to the same proven heatsink design and NF-A9x14 PWM fan, it stays true to the NH-L9i’s successful formula of fusing a height of only 37mm with strong performance and excellent quietness of operation, as well as 100% RAM and PCIe compatibility. At the same time, the chromax.black version with its black fan and black coated heatsink combines these assets with a sleek stealth look. Topped off with the renowned SecuFirm2™ low-profile mounting system for Intel LGA115x, Noctua’s enthusiast-grade NT-H1 thermal compound and a full 6-year manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-L9i chromax.black is a premium choice for customers who seek an ultra-compact heatsink that looks just as great as it cools.

The NH-L9i is a highly compact, quiet low-profile cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides first-rate performance in its class, it is not suitable for overclocking and or CPUs that create high heat loads. Please consult our CPU compatibility list to find out whether the NH-L9i is recommended for your CPU.

Details

Award-winning NH-L9i cooler

Tens of thousands of enthusiast users all over the world swear by the NH-L9i’s quality and performance. Recommended by more than 150 international hardware websites and magazines, it is renowned as being one of the best low-profile coolers on the market.

chromax.black design

The NH-L9i chromax.black is black from head to toe: Featuring a black coated heatsink, a black fan with black anti-vibration-pads, black fan screws and black mounting parts, it’s right at home in all-black builds and easy to integrate with other colour schemes.

37mm low profile

Due to the slim 23mm heatsink and the NF-A9x14 low profile fan that measures only 14mm in thickness, the NH-L9 stands a mere 37mm tall, which makes it ideal for use in compact HTPCs or Small Form Factor cases that offer minimum clearance for CPU coolers.

100% RAM compatibility

The NH-L9i has a 95x95mm footprint that complies exactly with the Intel LGA115x socket keep-out zone. This means that it won't cause issues with chipset coolers and doesn't overhang the RAM slots, so it's fully compatible with tall memory modules.

100% compatibility with PCIe cards on mini-ITX

Most Intel LGA115x based mini-ITX motherboards have the PCIe slot sitting right next to the 95x95mm socket zone. While larger coolers that exceed this zone are likely to block the PCIe slot, the 95x95xmm sized NH-L9i provides full compatibility with PCIe cards.

NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan

The highly optimised NF-A9x14 premium fan features Noctua's proprietary AAO frame as well as sophisticated aerodynamic design measures. Supporting PWM for fully automatic speed control, the NF-A9x14 allows the NH-L9i to stay remarkably quiet.

Low-Noise Adaptor

Allowing the maximum speed of the NF-A9x14 PWM fan to be reduced from 2500 to 1800rpm, the included Low-Noise Adaptor (LNA) makes it possible to achieve near-silent setups with suitable CPUs that only create smaller heat loads.

Custom-designed SecuFirm2™ mounting for LGA115x/1200

The NH-L9i bundles a custom-designed, backplate-less SecuFirm2™ mounting system for LGA115x/1200 that offers extended compatibility with mini-ITX boards and makes installation easier than ever, all while maintaining the trusted SecuFirm2™ quality.

Optional SecuFirm2™ mounting kit for AMD AM4

While the NH-L9i’s construction is tailored to the keep-out zone of Intel’s LGA115x platform, it can be installed on many AMD AM4 boards using the optional NM-AM4-L9aL9i mounting kit, which can be ordered on Noctua’s website free of charge.

NT-H1 thermal compound

Noctua’s much-acclaimed NT-H1 is a pro-grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease of use and outstanding reliability. Chosen again and again by overclockers and enthusiast users worldwide, it has established itself as a benchmark for premium-quality thermal compounds.

Soldered interface between heatpipes and fins

With many heatsinks, the fins are press-fitted to the heatpipes. Due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of copper and aluminium, this fit can loosen over years of thermal cycling, which may lead to reduced performance. By contrast, the NH-L9i’s fins are soldered to the heatpipes in order to guarantee a superior thermal interface that doesn’t deteriorate even after many years of usage.

6-year manufacturer’s warranty

Noctua products are renowned for their impeccable quality and outstanding longevity. Like all Noctua fans, the supplied NF-A9x14 features an MTTF rating of more than 150.000 hours and the entire NH-L9i package comes with a full 6-year manufacturer's warranty.

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Product Details

Notes and warnings

Cooler Specification

Socket compatibility

Intel LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1200, AMD AM4 with NM-AM4-L9aL9i

Height (without fan)

23 mm

Width (without fan)

95 mm

Depth (without fan)

95 mm

Weight (without fan)

320 g

Height (with fan)

37 mm

Width (with fan)

95 mm

Depth (with fan)

95 mm

Weight (with fan)

380 g

Material

Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating

Max. TDP

see CPU compatibility list

Fan compatibility

92x92x14mm, 92x92x25mm

Scope of delivery

Black coated NH-L9i heatsink
NF-A9x14 HS-PWM chromax.black premium fan
Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound
Black SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit
Black Screws for 92x92x25mm fans
Noctua Metal Case-Badge

Warranty

6 Years

FAN Specification

Model

Noctua NF-A9x14 HS-PWM chromax.black

Bearing

SSO2

Max. rotational speed (+/- 10%)

2500 RPM

Max. rotational speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%)

1800 RPM

Min. rotational speed (PWM, +/-20%)

600 RPM

Max. airflow

57,5 m³/h

Max. airflow with L.N.A.

40,8 m³/h

Max. acoustical noise

23,6 dB(A)

Max. acoustical noise with L.N.A.

14,8 dB(A)

Input power

2,52 W

Voltage range

12 V

MTTF

> 150.000 h

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION SHEETS (PDF)

FAQs

Motherboard Compatibility

CPU Compatibility

Installation Manual (PDF)

Information Sheet (PDF)

Disclaimer:
We create and update our compatibility lists with the utmost care. Unfortunately, mainboard manufacturers tend to change certain components and heatsinks without pointing it out by using corresponding revision names. If you run into problems while installing our coolers on one of the mainboards listed as being compatible, please don't hesitate to contact our support team at support@noctua.at.

Please also keep in mind that other components such as narrow or small cases as well as memory modules with special (higher) heat-spreaders can cause compatibility-issues.

For use in systems from Dell, HP or Lenovo, please note this FAQ.

Can't find the motherboard you're looking for? Please don't hesitate to contact our support team at support@noctua.at in order to obtain compatibility information for motherboards that aren't listed below.

When modern CPUs use their turbo modes, they can (depending on the configuration of the UEFI BIOS) dissipate much more heat than indicated by the manufacturer’s TDP (Thermal Design Power) specification. Just like manual overclocking, this puts higher demands on the cooling solution. Our CPU compatibility list helps you to choose the cooler model that is best suited for a given CPU and your individual requirements as far as turbo and overclocking headroom are concerned. We classify our coolers according to the following categories:

best turbo/overclocking headroom

medium turbo/overclocking headroom

low turbo/overclocking headroom

compatible without turbo/overclocking headroom

compatible with certain restrictions (see comment)

incompatible (see comment)

For further information on CPUs exceeding their TDP ratings and how to configure the UEFI BIOS in order to avoid excessively high temperatures, please see this FAQ.

Please also see our general buying guide, motherboard compatibility list and FAQs for further help on how to select the best cooler for your configuration.

Can't find the CPU you're looking for? Please don't hesitate to contact our support team at support@noctua.at in order to obtain compatibility information for CPUs that aren't listed here.

NM-AM4-L9aL9i mounting-kit
The NM-AM4-L9aL9i SecuFirm2™ mounting-kit makes Noctua NH-L9a and NH-L9i CPU coolers compatible with AMD's AM4 socket.
NT-H2 3.5g
Further improved second generation of the award-winning NT-H1 with even better thermal performance

Not electrically conductive and non-corroding

Excellent long-term stability (usage time on the CPU up to 5 years)

3.5g pack for around 3-20 applications (depending on CPU size, e.g. ~3 applications for TR4, ~20 for LGA1151)
NT-H2 10g
Further improved second generation of the award-winning NT-H1 with even better thermal performance

Not electrically conductive and non-corroding

Excellent long-term stability (usage time on the CPU up to 5 years)

10g pack for around 9-60 applications (depending on CPU size, e.g. ~9 applications for TR4, ~60 for LGA1151)
NA-SCW1
Cleaning wipes for removing thermal compounds such as Noctua NT-H2 and NT-H1

Ideal for cleaning the contact surface of the heatsink as well as the heat-spreader of CPUs, GPUs or other chips

Pre-moistened with a custom detergent mixture for easy and efficient cleaning

Large size (15x12cm) is usually enough to clean both the chip and the cooler

Pack contains 20 individually packed wipes